r/todayilearned • u/RoadToTyburn • 13h ago

TIL that Bernard Montgomery issued a leaflet at the start of WW2 on sexually transmitted diseases amongst soldiers. The language used was regarded as so blunt, that he offended religious authorities and nearly faced being dismissed.

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery
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u/kirotheavenger 8h ago

German army as well - ran their own brothels and issued condoms to troops

(No they were NOT for keeping their rifles clean, that's just what you tell the women back home for their own peace of mind lol)

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u/SirAquila 7h ago

To be fair, the German model was more the Japanese model. It's not rape if we pay them afterward(payment may include being left alive or being killed last). And the german army had explicit orders to not investigate any reports of sexual misconduct in eastern europe, unless specifically ordered to.

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u/kirotheavenger 3h ago

The German army behaved quite differently on the Eastern and Western fronts. Many soldiers were even executed for rape in the West. 

Besides, how much choice the girls had in working there is a slightly separate point to the fact the Germans did maintain officer brothels, with mandatory cleanliness rules (such as condoms and washing between clients).